The Gyroscopic Mind

Hi! I hope you had a happy Valentine’s Day! I’ve always believed that it includes love between anyone; couples, family, friends and a love for humanity. Love is a strong and beautiful bond in the world! Now more than ever it keeps us connected despite distance, despite how different things are. I send wishes of love to everyone!

The past few days I had an idea for a drawing, but it requires a quick backstory. Since I was a kid I wanted a gyroscope from the minute I heard of them. I loved science and observing it and I still do…bringing us to the science and pseudoscience course I’m taking this semester. It rekindled my curiosity and I used my birthday coupon from Aaron. (A gift of my choosing to be specified at a later date.) I remembered my first love when it comes to science related instrumentation: The gyroscope. It arrived last week and I was super excited. It works incredibly well; so well built and precise, and what it can do is absolutely incredible.

How it Works

Mine is made with a brass disc that rotates freely on the bar (axis) that goes through it, and then it’s encased in the frame. What makes them awesome is that once the disc is rotating really quickly (I’m talking 12 000+ revolutions per minute) the gyroscope will stay in the orientation you place it for a pretty long time. It sounds like a spinning top right? It’s a similar principle but this really goes beyond! The rotation creates a preservation of energy that overcomes the force of gravity which would otherwise make the heavy ball topple over. What’s the big deal? Well it can balance on a thin string for one, or rotate in place on a long metal rod with the ball almost touching the ground – but it doesn’t fall! I can’t seem to attach a video, but here’s a photo; you’ll have to imagine that the ball itself is rotating in a wide circle around the point that touches the table.

Mind as Gyroscope

Pretty cool huh? But I bet you’re wondering why I’m writing about a gyroscope. Well for one it’s because I’ve found it to be meditative. When you hold the ball in your hands and tilt side to side you feel resistance because it wants to stay in the same orientation. The vibrational energy activates my own and provides me with a focus while I practice deep breathing, and my intrusive thoughts are quieter. It also helps to watch the gyroscope while it rotates hypnotically. On top of that, we all know how I find symbolism in pretty much everything and anything…and this is no different. What I like most about the gyroscope is that it’s a small replica and example of physics and energy that can be directly felt and observed. I feel it as a small universe…a connection to the known and unknown powers of space. I also find that its energy and function parallels aspects of our consciousness. I’m no scientist, though I love ‘dumbed down’ physics videos, but I see a relation to our thoughts. Our thought patterns are like the disc, and once they ‘spin’ the energy is conserved and perpetuates the same thoughts. It takes force to change the orientation, and then again it will naturally want to follow the same new pattern. What does this mean to me? Well it reminds me of my article on Inertia. (Check it out here.) It represents the empowering notion that with gently applied force in a direction we choose, say, a more healthy direction / thought pattern, we can break out of an unhealthy cycle to fit into a new, healthier orbit. Maybe I’m reaching…but whatever works for me, right?

Artwork

This brings me to my drawing. It started with the idea of a gyroscope as a head, representing what I mentioned above. Then I had the urge to include all the elements…earth (vines), fire, water and air (outer space). It’s part of the person in my drawing, reflecting how inextricably linked we are with nature and the forces that we know and do not yet know. WE are a microcosm to the macrocosm; a mini replica of the universe in that we are all matter, and beyond that at the deepest level…pure energy. These notions and parallels run so deeply that my mind is scrambled as I attempt to grapple with them…but it’s fascinating. To sum up the key thought associated with this latest work, I’d have to say…empowerment. Connection to something greater – energy that we have yet to tap into. What do you think of the ‘Gyroscopic Mind’?